


Sophie Stagner - Deputy US Marshal

by tallgirl20



Category: Burn Notice
Genre: 1000 words, Character Study, Gen, Mentions of Violence, Michael Weston can be a positive influence, Post-Canon, Some angst, Strong Language, What might have been.., Women Being Awesome, bonus crack piece
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-15
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-10-19 01:12:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10629072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tallgirl20/pseuds/tallgirl20
Summary: She wasn't a genius. She wasn't athletic. She wasn't special. What Sophie was, was determined to pay it foward.(or how one life changes another)





	

Her new colleagues mostly didn’t know what to make of Sophie Stagner let alone why she had been hired. The ones who snooped at her personnel paperwork were just as baffled. Raised by a single mother, average high school, average college, average, average, average. No criminal records, no real records of any type (there might have been something sealed under juvenile directives, but it was - none of your business, stop asking, Deputy).

Until Sam – a teenage boy hysterical about moving.

Furiously unable to change the fact that his mother was dead-dead-dead and his 10 year old brother saw everything - saw her asshole of a boyfriend (dealer) beat her death (in a drug induced hallucination). It would have been awful enough for an older bother to handle without adding in exactly well connected the fucker was.

 _“It’s for the best, my ass! Tyler just started making friends!!”_ Sam screamed at Supervisory Deputy Hernandez.

“You need to calm down.” Hernandez warned.

 _“Calm down! The hell you smoking!?!?!”_ He smashed the decorative pen holder from Hernandez’s desk into the ground. Hernandez’s eye twitched. _“You can’t just make us move!”_

Out of nowhere, Deputy Stagner slouched against the open door. “So you want him dead? You want your little brother dead?”

A red faced Sam turned his anger on her. “You-”

“Well? Do you want your brother to die? Think they will make it fast? I heard it took over an hour for your mom to go.” Her voice just as mild as it always was.

“Stagner!” “You bitch!”

“By the way.” She cut in as if she wasn’t talking over two people (one of which was her boss). “Where were you when it happened? Chilling with your “crew”? Those abandoned parking lots are probably fantastic for skateboarding and escapism.” Her eyebrow rose in challenge.

Sam sputtered in rage. “It wasn’t my fault! I thought he was safe. Mom-“

From her slouched position on the door, Stagner scoffed. “Of course it wasn’t your fault,” she pushed upward and took a step forward, “but if you stay, Sam, all it takes is you going to one party, one late day picking Tyler up from school, one mistake - and Tyler is gone. And then,” she paused as her eyes bored into his suddenly uncertain ones, “ _it will be on you._ ”

Sam took a step back at her abrupt change of tone.

“Go ahead and stay, Sam.” Stagner continued, her voice firm and steady. “Live in paranoia waiting for the day one of _his_ goons plucks your brother off the street and takes him from you just like they took your mother. Or they could decide it’s not worth the wait and take you both.” She cocks her head slightly and gives the furious teenager a slow once over. “Maybe they will make you watch like they made Tyler.”

“Just stop it!” Sam screamed. His balled up hands trembling by his sides.

The silence in the office was absolute before Stagner began again. She took another step toward Sam, her voice cajoling, _understanding_. “You deserve better than to watch the shadows every second of your life. You deserve a chance to be a real brother not a helicopter parent at sixteen. Take the protection, Sam. Don’t, and you will never really live another day in your life.”

Sam’s whole frame shook. “I shouldn’t have left him alone.” The confession passed from his lips in a mere whisper. “If I had just-“

Stagner’s mouth softened as she tugged the teenager forward into her arms. Despite the fact he was at least six inches taller than her, Sam collapsed into her arms. “Idiot, it was not your fault.” She muttered into his shoulder. There was a brief pause before, “You’re too damn tall,” she complained - dramatically.

Sam’s soggy chuckle was weak, but it was _real_.

The disturbing gleam in Supervisory Deputy Hernandez eyes was the stuff of nightmares. “Stagner, when he stops crying into your hair, get him to Agent Jones then get your ass back in here.”

And so the legend of Deputy Sophie Stagner weird-ass United States Marshal was born.

\---

_Extra_

_“Oh, God. Lopez has a teenage daughter?” Deputy 1 turns wide eyes to his partner Deputy 2. “I didn’t see that on the paperwork.” 1’s voice takes on a manic edge._

_“Shit.” 2 curses._

_“GIVE ME BACK MY PHONE!”_ _Comes the inhuman screech from the teenager in question_.

_2’s breathing gets suspiciously fast. “Hey, you can’t hyperventilate now. Haven’t you been an agent for over 15 years?” 1 accuses 2._

_“They didn’t have social media when I started. I can’t handle teenagers these days.” 2 explains as his takes a Tums bottle from his pocket and begins chewing them like they’re Pez. 1 eyes the bottle with undisguised jealousy._

_“Why do you two look like Inspector Hernandez just yelled at you? Shouldn’t you be helping the Lopez family?” A female deputy questions as she comes up behind them._

_“WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU CREEP?” Enraged Teenager’s shriek reaches previously unheard octaves._

_1 flinches. “Stagner, Lopez has a daughter.” 2 whimpers in a pitiful defense._

_“You two are such pansies.” The now named female agent rolls her eyes as she strides forward and barks out, “Stop screaming, fluffy!”_

_“What did you just call me?” Enraged Teenager demands in a vicious whisper as her head snaps to Deputy Stagner. (“How does Stagner do it? One sentence, that’s it.” “Who cares? The girl’s stopped screaming.”)_

_“I called you fluffy. Who told you perms were back in? Because they must have hated you in their hearts, just saying.”_

_“I’m so glad we got Stagner.” Deputy 1 and 2 breath in sync as ET’s (Enraged Teenager or Extraterrestrial – neither of them knew which was more accurate these days) fury focuses solely on their female colleague – and most importantly – not on them. She could handle it (not that they couldn’t, it’s just- well, yeah, they could! – just maybe another day, or week. Next month sounded good)._

 

**Author's Note:**

> I have always been a fan of Burn Notice. I was rewatching the show the other day and wondered. What happened to Sophie when she grew up? I can't think of better way to repay Michael helping her than to help others who didn't have a Michael Weston in their corner. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed.


End file.
